BRUNCH WITH A TWIST

On Sunday my husband and I decided to go to brunch because we hadn’t eaten out since our vacation several weeks ago and do enjoy going out every once in a while for either brunch or dinner but really brunch is our favorite. He picked the place which was this adorable little place in the Old Port Portland area. We walked in and the place was small and the food smelled so good. We were seated right away and didn’t arrive terribly hungry so we were able to contain ourselves for a minute while we sipped hot coffee planning our brunch in a strategic manner. They had an entire page of different meats and cheeses so my husband ordered some of his favorite meats and we nibbled happily away on them. This is a place that makes home-made donuts to order so they come out piping hot but both of us were able to resist such treats and went to order our meals. We were looking at the different egg combinations, hash combinations and feeling pretty good about having a gluten-free brunch. Until I saw it, right there on the menu, front and center; orange hazelnut butter brioche French toast with Maine maple syrup. Sold to the highest bidder which happened to me at that time and our table. My husband took my cue that gluten-free did not have to pertain to this meal on this day with this beautiful lady sitting across from him so he proceeded to order Eggs benedict on brioche bread.

A little more coffee, some delicious food, and amazing company and this couple was in state of true satisfaction and contentment. Everything was fine and dandy as we left this little bistro every happy and extremely full. We went about our day and into the evening things changed and changed quickly. My joints were starting to stiffen, my body felt so tired, and my mind was in a fog. My husband just looked at me and said that is what gluten will do. I couldn’t believe it happened in the same day. I didn’t even have a chance to journal about our fabulous brunch before I was feeling the effects. My husband started feeling the effects later with some uneasy full feelings that lasted way into the evening and neither of us slept well. Yesterday morning we woke up and I did get up to do my exercise routine and yoga routine because I really have to not feel well to skip my routine so I continued about my morning but when he asked me how I was feeling the truth was I was still feeling pretty lethargic and my joints were still really stiff this morning. If the effects can happen that fast they should go away just as fast but it doesn’t work that way. Neither of us have been diagnosed with any intolerance to gluten but the longer we go without eating it the harder the effects are when we do so we are normally really conscience about it and just let our guards down the other day. Have we learned our lesson? Honestly no, probably not but the next time when it is several weeks or even months from now we will probably be reminded just as quickly how much better off we are when we stick with proteins and fats and have our starches in the form of vegetables, white rice and potatoes. The lessons of life can hit you like a brick in the stomach literally or gentle reminders to be mindful about what you eat and drink and know the consequences of each and every action. We are still learning.

WALKING STATS

Back in the swing of my activity again. Body is feeling good and although I’m focused on my yoga I’m finding time to for walking every day.

Total 88,462

Average daily 12,637

Miles 33.81

Floors 141

WALKING WEEKLY STATS

I have been feeling better this week so my activity is increasing gradually and steps for last week are

total – 72,965

average daily – 10,424

miles – 27.91

floors 115

I also recieved a new fitbit badge this week called shooting star hitting 20,000 lifetime floors and shooting for the stars.  The small daily achievements add up to big successes and it is all in fun.

BEAUTIFUL SHADE OF PINK

I haven’t written much about my Raynaud’s in a while but there really wasn’t much to write about. I have lived with a certain shade of purple now for several years and have become quite used to seeing my fingers this way. I no longer have any whiteness, numbness, or tingling so if the shades of purple are the worst I have to endure that I’m content with this. This winter has been a very cold winter here in Maine and with all the bundling of my body I have had to do to stay warm my hands faired pretty well actually. We had many hours outside moving snowing and although my body in general does not enjoy the cold my hands and feet held up during these long bouts outside without much change from just the cold and purple that I deal with. Hand warmers are helpful in the winter and staying covered is helpful but at the end of the day I still have the same purplish digits to deal with.

However, I have noticed that I have this beautiful shade of pink to my fingers every once in a while. I am associating this pinkish color to more blood flow driven by my yoga practice. In the past 10 years I have taken my yoga seriously and committed to it fully but I have not been as committed to my yoga as I have these last 5 months when I started my teacher training. I am on my yoga mat daily, even if for only a short time some days but it is still a daily yoga practice that I have not had in the past. Each time I get on my mat I feel the blood flow, the energy move and I just feel alive. My yoga practice is making me feel like a new person and adding life to my body. I think this energy flow is contributing to a better circulation flow and allowing me periods of the day where my hands actually look like normal hands. Right now as I type this blog my hands have a slight purple twinge at the very tips of my fingers. Later in the day they may be their full purple color or I may look down and see no purple. I actually find myself evaluating my hands more during the day, a concept that may be strange for most people but for me I’m just looking at what my body is doing and what my energy is doing. Yoga is all about energy flow, finding, moving and releasing blockages from the body and allowing the body to do what it needs to do. I think this is why my Raynaud’s seems to be doing better even in extremely cold conditions.

I’m looking forward to what my hands look like this summer when the weather is mild, the sun is bright and my body is really strong. Until then I will continue my daily practice and strengthen this body each and every time I step on the mat.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A WEEK MAKES

So we are home and I’m run down from my travels and as mentioned before not putting many steps on my fitbit so here are my weekly stats

Total – 58,619

Average daily  – 8,374

Floors – 109

miles – 22.4

 

These are certainly not my best stats but this is what my body could accomplish so I have to recongize it and be ok with it.

TRAVEL ON THE BODY

Vacations are a wonderful concept that keep us all working hard and give us something to look forward to with loved ones. My husband and I really enjoy our vacations each year and we put so much thought into them, plan them together, start to think about them the week the before. We even get so excited that it is hard to sleep the night before we leave.  I wouldn’t change this feeling that we get, but it is also not lost on either of us what traveling does to the body.  Both of our bodies by the way, not just mine because of MCTD. Although the MCTD really heightens fatigue, achy joints and completely run down feeling.  Even my husband who doesn’t have an autoimmune feels run down after traveling.  There is a certain stress associated with traveling, there are extremely long days on your travel days and then there is the eating and drinking and a little too much letting go while enjoying your vacation.  This is all well and good but it comes at a price.  At least it does for us.

I have been trying to get back to feeling my normal self now for nearly a week. Increasing my sleep, just walking and doing my yoga as to not stress my body more, eating clean, and drinking so much water and tea to flush everything out.  While this may be helping it takes a long time.  I don’t know if other people go through the same thing when they travel or not but it always takes me a bit of time to get back to normal whether I travel for vacation, work, or other reasons.  Quick trips I can recover quicker, but long vacation trips it takes me longer.  I wouldn’t give up my vacation because of how I feel now only because the feelings before and during my vacation out way this feeling.

Walking and yoga feel good and although I’m not putting many miles on my fitbit I am walking here and there as I can muster the energy which is fine for now until things settle back to normal.  Slowly I will increase my activity as my body is ready and push harder as I feel the fatigue dissipate.

WALKING STATS

I was on vacation last week so I tend to do a lot of walking on the Beach, golf course and just in general. My husband and I are people who explore with our feet so we walk whenever possible and as much as possible. These stats reflect that week of walking. Week of 2/23

Total Steps – 119,844

Average – 17,121

Miles – 45.80

Floors – 30

 

My floors drop off a lot even with the increased steps because they don’t usually have a lot of steps on vacation resorts. It is all level walking but lots of it.

STEP STATS

I am behind on my step stats so there will be a few posts right in a row as I can get the information together. These are from the week of Feb 16.

Total Steps – 89,399

Daily Average – 12,771

Miles – 34.19

Floors – 128